Jeff Mitchell / Under the Dome: Hang on to your hat

Outgoing Salinas mayor wants to restore city's renowned sculpture

Nov. 13, 2012

The 'Hat in Three Stages of Landing' sculpture by Claes Oldenburg stands in succession Monday morning in the park area near the offices of the California Rodeo Salinas. / Travis Geske/The Salinas Californian

Far too many people in this city are struggling. The pain you see on the faces of some on the street can be overwhelming at times.

On those days I get in my car and head west to the beach. I don’t know about you but just seeing the water calms me.

Art has the same effect.

Even if it’s not my so-called “genre,” great visual art gets my mind working and lets me escape the present — if only for a short while — so I value it.

So at today’s meeting, the mayor and the library and community services director are going to suggest to the City Council that it spend $160,000 in general fund dollars to do something different.

No, it won’t be about investing in some poorly researched scheme which will all but “guarantee” the creation of new, high-paying jobs.

No, this $160,000 will pay for the restoration of a unique piece of art.

Found to the rear of Sherwood Park is a metal sculpture called “Hat in Three Stages of Landing.”

Outsized and colorful, the installation mocks the wind that roars through the park like a locomotive each afternoon. The “Hat,” in this case, may well have blown off the head of a cowboy working in the rodeo arena next door.

“Hat” was installed there in 1982 to much ballyhoo of the international art world because it is the creation of international sculpture artist Claes Oldenburg.

The installation, like many of Oldenburg’s works, was made in collaboration with his wife, Coosje van Bruggen, who died in 2009 after 32 years of marriage.

And for a long while, the sculpture was prominently listed in California art tour books and other public art reference works.

But after years of abuse by the elements and contact by parkgoers, the three yellow aluminum sculptures began to fall into disrepair. Things got so bad earlier this year that the city fenced them off for safety reasons.

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Now, however, Mayor Dennis Donohue wants to spend some of the city’s money to give the sculptures new life.

I say let’s do it.

Basically, the city will front the money needed for a metal fabrication shop in American Canyon to do the repairs necessary and then have the pieces securely reinstalled in the park.

Besides just being fun, the sculptures themselves are historically significant because they come from Oldenburg, a globally-known artist whose work can found in most every major city.

(Along San Francisco’s Embarcadero, the sculpture of the giant bow and arrow “Cupid’s Span” is just one example.)

Elizabeth Martinez, Salinas’ library and community services director said: “Oldenburg may not be a household name to everyone in Salinas, but just mention his name in any art circle and watch the reaction you get. We are so incredibly lucky to have one of his installations. To not do anything about it would be a shame. To lose these pieces to the elements and/or vandalism would be a horror.”

Martinez said the plan is to reimburse the city for the $160,000 through federal arts grants and through fundraising.

And, yes, knowing the regular crowd at the Rotunda, the proposal may take some knocks.

Knocks are fine. We live in a democracy after all. Abusive or derogatory speech isn’t OK. Let’s all agree to keep things civil.

I don’t know how the city did it back in the day, but Salinas was very lucky to land — so to speak — Oldenburg’s “Hats.”

What’s been a tragedy over the years is how much they’ve been allowed to deteriorate.

Now we have a chance to make the repairs and share great international art — once again — with our residents and the public. What a great opportunity.

• Jeff Mitchell covers Salinas City Hall and local politics. Send tips or story ideas by email to: jemitchell@theCalifornian.com; or by phone: 831-754-4281. He can be heard live on the air Fridays at 8:10 a.m. on KION 1460-AM and KION 101.1-FM. You also can follow Under the Dome on Twitter at twitter.com/CalUnderTheDome